5 Rope Climb Workouts for Climbing Success

5 Rope Climb Workouts for Climbing Success

How to climb a rope: These are workouts to help you master the exercise.

Let's get creative in your training. We will be using the battle ropes, we will be pulling out the towels, and we will be incorporating the most traditional of strength training movements to give your body everything it needs to ring that bell.

How to Climb a Rope

#1 Strength Training

Part of the strength training necessary with rope climb training is grip strength training. In this workout you will pull out either your short rope attachments (cable column handle) or your hand towels to incorporate into some of your favorite Spartan Training exercises. Today will focus on both strength and muscle growth.

Warm Up: 5 minute jog High Knees - 30 Seconds Butt Kicks - 30 Seconds High Kicks - 30 Seconds Lateral Shuffles - 30 Seconds (each side) Arm Bar - 30 Seconds Halos - 30 Seconds

Main Set: Set #1 Kettlebell Clean - 4x6 {Moderate Weight} Towel Pull Ups - 4x4-6 Towel Farmers Carry - 4x100y Rest: 60 Seconds

Set #2 Step Ups - 4x12 {Moderate Weight} Push Ups - 4x12 {Moderate Weight} Hanging Leg Raise - 4x12 Rest: 60 Seconds

#2 Every Minute on the Minute

Today is an ass-kicking burnout, EMOM. String up your battle rope or find your favorite climbing rope and perform 5 hang and hooks every minute on the minute.

When you’re not working your preferred hook technique, you will be blasting through an all-out sprint on the assault bike. Fight through this 10-minute AMRAP. This drill has proven to be successful at teaching everyone how to climb the rope.

Warm Up - 5 minutes moderate on Assault Bike

Main Set:

10 Minute Assault Bike, Rower, or Treadmill (9 RPE) Every minute on the minute: Hang and Hook* Intermediate-Advanced: Add a pull-up

Cool Down - 5 minutes on Assault Bike, Rower or Treadmill

*Hang and Hook: Tie a battle rope over a pull-up bar. Hang from the pull-up bar (or from the rope). While hanging, lift your knees to your chest and perform the hook technique of your choosing. Take it one more step: Pull yourself up. Release the hook and return to hang. Repeat.

#3 Strength Stability Circuit

Although the rope climb takes a cohesive body, one side will always be more dominant. When you get part-way up the rope, the last thing you want is for your non-dominant arm or leg to fatigue. Today, we’re building unilateral stability.

Warm Up: 5 minute jog High Knees - 30 Seconds Butt Kicks - 30 Seconds High Kicks - 30 Seconds Lateral Shuffles - 30 Seconds (each side) Arm Bar - 30 Seconds Halos - 30 Seconds Lateral Tube Walking - 30 Seconds

Main Set:

Hangs - 30 Seconds Advanced - Alternate hand release for 30 seconds Single Arm Front Squat - 12 Reps {Moderate Weight} Single arm Kneeling Lat Pull Down - 12 Reps Reverse Lunge with Med Ball Rotation - 12 Reps Inverted Row - 12 Reps Leg Lowering - 12 Reps

4 Sets Rest 30-60 Seconds Between Circuit

#4 Power AMRAP

I’ll fill you in on a little secret. The higher you can jump, the less pulls it’ll take to get up any rope climb.

In this workout you'll work on power and explosiveness. You will learn to jump, pull your upper body up, and pull your legs up. When adding these movements together, you will have the fastest and stronger rope climb on the course.

Warm Up: 5 minute jog High Knees - 30 Seconds Butt Kicks - 30 Seconds High Kicks - 30 Seconds Lateral Shuffles - 30 Seconds (each side) Arm Bar - 30 Seconds Halos - 30 Seconds

Main Set: 10 Battle Rope Slams 10 Jumping Pulls Ups 10 Power Step Ups 10 Mountain Climbers 10 Burpees

15 Minute AMRAP

#5 Race Simulations

You will be performing 5 1-mile repeats at a 5k pace. In between each repeat, you will perform 1 rope climb (or 10 hang and hook pull ups/ 5 towel pull ups) as “active rest”. Imagine you are in race mode. You are practicing an effortless transition between running and rope climbing.

Warm Up: 5 minute jog High Knees - 30 Seconds Butt Kicks - 30 Seconds High Kicks - 30 Seconds Lateral Shuffles - 30 Seconds (each side) Arm Bar - 30 Seconds Halos - 30 Seconds

Main Set: 5 min Jog 1 Mile @ 5k pace 1 Rope Climb Repeat 5x 5 min Jog

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